Earlier today the Carolina Region announced the induction of the 2022 Triangle 16 Black team into the North Carolina Volleyball Hall of Fame’s Court of Honor. Teams that have achieved regional or national recognition for significant results are considered for inclusion in the Court of Honor each year. In 2022, Triangle 16 Black’s significant achievement was going undefeated in Atlanta to win the 16 Open Championship at The Big South National Qualifier. They are the third junior girls’ team to be honored by the Carolina Region and they join Triangle 18 Kaepa (2006) who was the first team in North Carolina junior volleyball history to qualify Open by also winning Big South.
THE CHAMPIONSHIP RUN…On Sunday, April 17, 2022, with an overall record of 10-0 (20-2 in sets), Triangle 16 Black was crowned the champion of the deeply talented 16 Open division at The Big South National Qualifier. 16 Black began the event as the overall four seed after finishing tied for 5th and earning a qualifying bid to USAV Junior Nationals at the Sunshine Volleyball Classic Qualifier two weeks prior.
After the first two rounds of pool play at Big South, 16 Black remained undefeated (6-0) and had not dropped a single set. On Saturday night the team began the Gold pool facing off against Top Select 16 Elite Blue (FL) who had previously defeated 16 Black at Sunshine. Triangle, looking for a different outcome, battled to capture the first set 26-24 and then proceeded to clinch the win in set two (25-22).
On Easter Sunday Triangle entered their second Gold pool match against OT 16 J Will (FL) who they had defeated at Sunshine two weeks prior. Triangle dropped their first set of the match, but regrouped and went on to win in three (24-26, 25-19, 15-3). Their final Gold pool match was against the #3 nationally ranked A5 (GA). Triangle had faced and fallen short versus A5 in Gold pool play at Sunshine, but was seeking a different outcome. The match was hard fought and would take three sets but Triangle 16 Black triumphed 2-1 (20-25, 25-23, 15-7). The first place finish in their Gold pool set up the championship match vs. Wave (CA). In the championship final Triangle established early control of the match and went on to defeat Wave in straight sets (25-14, 25-20).
The Big South National Qualifier is the largest indoor girls junior volleyball tournament held over a single weekend in North America. Established in 1988 in Tampa, Florida, and previously known as the Tampa Bay National Qualifier, The Big South moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 2005. Since then, BSQ has called Atlanta home and has been one of the most competitive junior girls’ events in the nation. In 2022, Big South had 174 courts in the Georgia World Congress Center and had over 1300 junior girls’ teams aged 11-17s.
The members of Triangle 16 Black are:
Name…………………………………. City…………………… High School
Emily Bobbitt……………………….. Clayton……………… Corinth Holders HS/Iowa State University
Avery Booker……………………….. Holly Springs…….. Middle Creek HS/George Mason University
Kiarrah (Kiki) Horne………………. Raleigh……………… Millbrook HS/UCLA
Ashlyn Philpot………………………. Winterville…………. D.H. Conley/University of Illinois
Avery Scoggins…………………….. New Bern………….. New Bern HS/University of Arizona
Coley Shiflet…………………………. Randleman………. Southwestern Randolph HS/University of Houston
Lilly Slaymaker……………………… Raleigh………………Wakefield HS
Laynie Smith………………………… Durham…………….. East Chapel Hill HS/University of Illinois
Sophia Grace [SG] Stevens……. Wake Forest……… Millbrook HS
Asia Thigpen………………………… Pittsboro…………….Northwood HS/University of Kentucky
Coaching Staff:
Head Coach, Mike Frank
Assistant Coaches: Katherine Koslowsky and Alissa McGuire